


D.O.n't you dare!

by WatashiRedbean



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A lot of angst and cute times, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, And tonnes of cameos, Brief gender swap courtesy of Jongin, Does that count as a spoiler?, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy and smutty yay, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, It's not confusing I swear, Multi, Mutual Pining, Parseltongue Kyungsoo, Pranks and Practical Jokes, everyone ships it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 14:44:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8894650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WatashiRedbean/pseuds/WatashiRedbean
Summary: He tried taking deep, calming breaths.One…two…In and out...Nope. That wasn’t helping. Not in the slightest.This couldn't be happening, right? What he saw reflected in the mirror wasn't the body he was accustomed to seeing first thing on a Tuesday morning. How had this happened? Surely he was dreaming, or hallucinating. Perhaps someone had spiked his pumpkin juice at last night's dinner? Or maybe this was someone's idea of a joke-Oh wait. Of course it was.It could only be his doing. This had Kim Jongin's name written all over it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this is trash, but I'm proud of it?  
> This idea came to me during the summer when I was dying without wifi, and honestly I've had so much fun writing it because oh my god the pranks I've researched are so extra.  
> I love Harry Potter and Kpop, so this is my gift back to them??  
> Idk, anyway, I hope you enjoy it lovelies!~

He tried taking deep, calming breaths.

One…two…

In and out…

Nope. That wasn’t helping. Not in the slightest.

This couldn't be happening, right? What he saw reflected in the mirror wasn't the body he was accustomed to seeing first thing on a Tuesday morning. How had this happened? Surely he was dreaming, or hallucinating. Perhaps someone had spiked his pumpkin juice at last night's dinner? Or maybe this was someone's idea of a joke-

Oh wait. Of course it was.

“KIM JONGIN!”

Do Kyungsoo’s shriek reverberated across the dorm as he stared at his reflection in horror. He slowly bought a hand to his face but couldn’t quite bring himself to touch it, too shocked by the unfamiliar reflection that gaped back at him. Meeting the twin pair of disbelieving eyes in the glass, he couldn’t help but forlornly reminisce as to how he wound up in such a disastrous situation in the first place...

 

He’d first met Jongin when he’d been in his third year at Hogwarts, and he supposed it was fair to say that the two didn’t make the best impression on each other.

 

“Good luck today hyung. You’re going to need it.” Were the first words the tanned second year ever spoke to him, his pubescent vocal chords making his voice hit a comically high falsetto. Kyungsoo turned to the boy in shock, his grip tightening on his sleek Nimbus 2015 at the young Gryffindor’s unfounded arrogance; this was his first game as the newly appointed seeker for the Gryffindor team, whereas Kyungsoo had been participating in- and winning, thank you very much- Quidditch matches for two years as the Slytherin team’s own notorious seeker.

 

The boy didn’t meet his incredulous gaze, instead keeping his eyes locked on the screaming crowds in the bleachers in the distance as the two rival teams marched towards the pitch, confidently twirling his Firebolt Supreme between nimble fingers. Kyungsoo scoffed loudly and his team captain, a sixth year by the name of Choi Seunghyun snorted beside him. He shifted his glare to the older boy, who simply ruffled his black locks affectionately as he whispered a hushed “ignore him”.

The Gryffindor team captain, Park Jeongsu, also noticed the cool exchange initiated by his young team mate and nudged him harshly. “Don’t be rude, Jongin.” He chided softly. Ah, so his name is Jongin, Kyungsoo thought, and he couldn’t help but smirk at the affronted expression adorning the cute boy’s face.

Hold on…cute?!

Jongin glowered at the older boy’s smug features, and opened his mouth to retort when the was ushered away by his team, Jeongsu shooting Seunghyun a thumbs up and mouthing ‘good luck’ as they parted to wait in their individual lockers before the match began.

As the Slytherin team stood in their formations in the wooden locker, Kyungsoo turned to the captain.

“What was his problem?” He didn’t mean for it to come out as a whine, but in all honesty, the younger gryffindor’s obnoxious attitude had saddened him a little. Gone were the days in which the two houses acted hostilely towards each other. The petty rivalry that had been the source of a lot of misery and disturbance within the school had been torn down a decade ago, much to everyone’s relief, when the two prefects of the houses opened up about their issues and confusions as to why they couldn’t maintain a civil relationship like they did with the other houses. Months later, news came out of their dating, and the entire school population was overjoyed as, quite frankly, they’d been rooting for the two oblivious girls since day one and it had become more than a little tedious to watch them dance around one another.

Seunghyun looked down at him with an understanding smile.

“Don’t listen to him Soo-ah. He’s just a child; you’ll do fantastically today, like always.” The older boy reassured him softly, and the five other team mates standing behind him murmured in agreement.

Kyungsoo turned around to bow appreciatively to them. The support he’d received from the six older boys and girls over the last two years had done wonders in boosting his confidence, and he had come a long way from his first day of training, when he had greeted them all timidly as a small and stuttering first year.

They beamed at him in return.

“Give him time. Sometimes newbies forget that we’re all friends now, or perhaps his parents bought him up with the anti-slytherin mind-set that was so delightfully popular in past generations. Or maybe he’s just a little shit. Whatever the reason, promise me you won’t take it personally, okay?”

Kyungsoo nodded, determined not to let the snot-nosed second year deter him from doing his best in the match.

The gates rolled up at that moment, and Kyungsoo had to squint his eyes against the harsh sunlight as he mounted his broom. Surrounded by the screams of support from his peers on the stands, he flew out into formation.

The match went well with little incident. Kyungsoo had come out victorious after catching the snitch forty-three minutes into the game, leaving Slytherin triumphant with three hundred and seventy points to gryffindor’s two hundred and ten. Madame Ahn blew the whistle as the loud-mouthed Hufflepuff commentator, Kim Jongdae, excitedly announced the results.

The teams flew back into formation as the crowds went wild. Kyungsoo grinned ecstatically as his teammates high-fived each other and shot their young seeker proud winks.

Once the ruckus died down and the students were harried back into school, Kyungsoo let himself relax. His team were walking behind him, excitedly praising each other’s game play. He could see the Gryffindor team approaching ahead, their red and golden Quidditch robes stark against the green of the field.

Seunghyun pushed past his team to embrace Jeongsu in a hug, cackling as they playfully wrestled each other whilst exchanging fond insults. The rest of the slytherin team followed, mingling in with the Gryffindor students until it was just Kyungsoo standing alone on the edge of the group. A few members of the Gryffindor team approached him to congratulate him, but it wasn’t until he spotted a specific face that he really paid attention.

Jongin walked up to him, a small smile adorning his lips despite his embarrassing position of losing the match after such fighting talk earlier.

“Well played, you know, for a slytherin.”

Kyungsoo choked on his spit in shock at the younger boy’s bluntness, scowling when the other boy snorted at his reaction.

“Joking! I’m joking. Oh my god, you should’ve seen your face.” Jongin chortled, his laughter fuelled further by the growl Kyungsoo released. The older boy could feel his cheeks burning, and that only served to increase the contempt he felt towards the Gryffindor.

“I’m Kim Jongin, by the way. Second year, Gryffindor seeker.” He held out his hand in an attempt of a peace offering, but Kyungsoo didn’t think he wanted to acquaint himself with such a mischievous boy. He eyed the hand with suspicion that didn’t go unnoticed. He didn’t like being made fun of at the best of times.

Just as the older boy was about to shove the tanned hand away, Seunghyun shot him a pointed look over Jongin’s head. ‘Play nice’, he mouthed. The slytherin boy sighed, but relented.

“Do K-Kyungsoo. Third year. Slytherin seeker.”

Jongin beamed at him, his hand still outstretched, and Kyungsoo coughed awkwardly before accepting it, trying not to wince as his smaller hand was crushed in a firm shake.

“Nice to meet you, Soo-hyung!”

Kyungsoo startled at the nickname.

“Don’t call me that.” He deadpanned.

Jongin didn’t seem fazed by the older boy’s cold demeanour though, and continued to energetically shake his hand until the third year pulled it away. It took a lot of self-restraint to not wipe his hand on his robe; the younger boy’s palm was sweaty and it grossed him out, but he didn’t want to appear rude. His mother raised a gentleman after all.

“Um, sure thing! I just wanted to say you looked so cool out there, and that, maybe, if you have free time, we could do some training together?”

Kyungsoo’s scowl deepened.

“Thank you but no.”

Jongin’s smile fell and Kyungsoo huffed at the dejected look on his babyish features.

“You know we aren’t on the same team, right? I’m hardly going to teach my sporting rival all my tricks and stuff.” He said coolly, not noticing that the twelve seniors nearby had stopped their conversations to listen in on theirs.

Jongin pouted childishly.

“So? C’mon hyung, I don’t want to steal any of your tactics or anything like that, I just wanna be friends!”

Kyungsoo was taken-aback by the younger boy’s outburst.

…Friends?!

It was then that he felt the heavy weight of eyes on him, and he looked up to find both teams staring at them with little grins. A few of the girls cooed at the cute exchange. He shifted awkwardly under the weight of their gazes and looked down at his feet as he wrung his hands nervously into the fabric of his green robe.

“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He whispered to the ground.

Jongin stepped closer, unable to hear the older boy speak. Kyungsoo took a step back.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t be your friend.” Was all Kyungsoo could bear to mutter before he turned on his heel and ran away, leaving Jongin and his team to stare after him, dumbfounded.

Jongin sighed, put-out. Maybe he shouldn’t have teased the older boy, but he couldn’t help himself. Ever since he’d spotted the third year for the first time amongst the throng of students at the slytherin table on the night of his welcome ceremony, he’d been enamoured, and running into the boy in the lockers earlier that day filled him with the desire to try and make conversation. The boy’s face, although set in a seemingly-permanent glower, looked so squishy and cherubic and inviting. And his eyes were so large and dark that they reminded him of his beloved owl, Meonggu; Jongin had felt his insides melt when their harsh gaze fell on him in the lockers. His lips were Jongin’s favourite though, as they were plump, pink and heart-shaped, just like the heart-shaped cookies his muggle parents bake with him in the holidays. He sighed again, this time dreamily.

He knew it was silly to have developed a crush on the boy after only having seen him a handful of times, but he couldn’t help himself. As his mother always said, the heart wants what the heart wants.

And his heart wanted Do Kyungsoo. Unusually big eyes, mean expression and all.

He was broken out of his reverie by Jeongsu patting his back gently.

“There, there young one. I’m sure he’ll come around and be your friend eventually.”

Jongin hummed in agreement. Of course he would come around! Everyone liked him and he had loads of friends. Jongin prided himself on being a sweet and outgoing person, even if he did perhaps go overboard on his cheekiness from time to time. One day, Kyungsoo was sure to fall for his charms too.

‘See you around, Kyungsoo-hyung’, he thought giddily.

 

Meanwhile, Kyungsoo had run all the way to the Slytherin common room in the dungeon, ignoring the worried whispers and stares of disapproval other students threw his way as he fled down the stairs. There, he found his group of friends huddled on a set of couches in the corner, hunched over their homework.

Two of the boys looked up in shock as he barrelled towards them, crashing into the empty space on the sofa.

“Woah, what the heck Kyungsoo?” The voice belonged to his giant of a best friend, Chanyeol, who was currently sporting a look of abject horror as the dark-haired boy scrunched up all his spare sheets of parchment under his small body.

“Are you okay?” Hakyeon inquired, his eyes scanning the younger’s robes for any sign of injury. When none was found, he nudged the silent boy beside him to pay attention.

“Huh?” Yoongi grunted, sparing a second to glance up from his potions book to glare at Hakyeon. The darker-skinned boy gestured to where Kyungsoo sat, his eyes closed and lips parted as he panted from the exertion of running full-speed across the grounds. Yoongi simply quirked an eyebrow at his friend’s ruffled state, but didn’t voice his concerns.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Just wanted to get away fr- I mean, get here to see you guys. Quickly.” He mumbled, red dusting his cheeks at the obvious lie.

The four of them stared at him skeptically, but didn’t push him for the truth. Kyungsoo silently thanked them for their consideration. He truly appreciated his friends.

“I just want to be friends!”

He shook his head. Yeah, not likely. Kyungsoo had enough friends, thank you very much. And he certainly didn’t need a friend who took pleasure in teasing him. He received enough of that from his peers as it was. The boy also seemed like a handful, and Kyungsoo didn’t have time or the energy to waste on maintaining a friendship with a high-maintenance character like Jongin. He needed to study to excel in his O.W.L s and N.E.W.Ts come the fifth and seventh year so that he could be scouted into the Ministry of Magic as an Auror; his dream job.

“Hm, okay.” Kyungsoo glanced up to see Chanyeol eyeing him weirdly. He glared at the brunette, and the tall boy cleared his throat.

“Hey, congratulations on today’s win! You did an awesome job out there!” Chanyeol yelled and suddenly the entire common room was thrown into uproar, cheers and hoots ringing off the dark tiled walls as students of all ages came up to shower the young seeker with praise and hugs.

Kyungsoo squirmed uncomfortably as everyone crowded around. Although he appreciated the kind comments and encouragement, some of the teenagers were a little too familiar with him for his liking, and a fourth year student, Bang Minah, went as far as to press kisses to his cheeks. Chanyeol chortled at his startled expression and Kyungsoo smacked him, smirking at the hiss of pain it elicited. Yoongi simply rolled his eyes at the entire ordeal whilst Hakyeon abandoned all efforts of finishing his essay within the chaos in favour of talking to – or in this case, talking at- a silent slytherin boy hiding from the mob in the corner who he’d recently discovered the existence of in the library.

Once the excitement died down and the students dispersed, Kyungsoo left his friends to their work and made his way up to the boys’ dormitory to change out of his robes. They’d made plans to visit Hogsmeade later, and Kyungsoo was looking forward to getting away from the castle and clearing his head. At least there, he thought, there was no chance of running into Jongin.

 

The next time he properly encountered the young Gryffindor was during the Halloween celebrations. On the night of the thirty-first of October, the Great Hall was abundant with students and professors as everyone rushed to fill their faces with the spread of spooky-themed sweets and cakes. Kyungsoo and his friends were no exception. Chanyeol and Hakyeon had been especially excited about the entire event, dragging the other three- it seemed Hakyeon had finally convinced Leo, the silent boy he’d thrown himself at several weeks ago, to join their friendship group- up the stairs towards the feast.

In the end, Kyungsoo had allowed the giant to pull him away from his letter-writing, only to find himself stuck in-between his ridiculously tall frame and Yoongi’s more delicate-but-just-as-formidable one at the Slytherin table for the rest of the evening. However he brushed off his annoyance when Chanyeol offered him a selection of lollipops that he’d been eyeing up on the way in. His friend’s clumsy limbs did occasionally have their benefits, the most prominent of which being their ability to reach down the table to grab any and all otherwise-unobtainable food items that Kyungsoo fancied. The group spent the majority of the night at the feast, enjoying each other’s company before deciding to retire to their dorms to try out the box of Bertie-Bott’s Every Flavoured Beans that Hakyeon had bought at Honeydukes that weekend.

As they wove down the cold corridors, their cheeks still stuffed full of lollies and chocolate frogs, Kyungsoo marched ahead, keen to get back to his letter so he could send it off tonight before revising for the herbology test he was going to sit on Wednesday.

He rounded the corner, only to find that the long corridor leading down to the staircase was shrouded in darkness. He stopped in his tracks, the hairs on the back of his nape standing on end as he tried to squint into the tenebrosity. He couldn’t hear the voices of his friends anymore, having left them behind a few corridors back. Swallowing down the unease that was building in his gut, he tentatively stepped into the shadowed area, clutching his handful of cupcakes close to his chest.

“Hello?” He called out, cursing himself for the shake in his voice.

When no answer came, he forced himself to move forwards.

You’re being ridiculous, he scolded himself. The flames probably just died in the wind, or burnt out. Nothing is going to happen to you, just keep walking. He tried not to fixate on the fact that there wasn’t any wind in this part of the building, and that the candles technically couldn’t just snuff out- Professor Lee had charmed them so.

He continued to tiptoe down the dark corridor, eyes straining to see something-anything- in the blackness that enveloped him. If only I’d bought my wand, he thought in despair.

Suddenly, in the shadows beyond, he heard a scraping noise. He jumped, and a strangled squeak escaped his lips before he could contain it. Slapping a hand over his mouth, he stood still, waiting to see if he would hear anything else. He didn’t though, and after a few minutes of listening to the blood rush in his ears and his heart thump painfully in his chest, he decided to start moving forward again.

It was just a rat, Kyungsoo. Just a rat. He tried to reassure himself.

He kept his lips clamped shut as he shuffled along the stone floor, praying that his friends would come find him at any second.

“BOO!”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and his lips parted in a silent scream of terror as a large, flaming Jack-O-lantern jumped out of the darkness at his face. His body was immobilised with fear, the cupcakes falling from stiff fingers and his mind froze as the sinister smile of the pumpkin head seared itself into his memory before he passed out.

“Oh my freaking god! Happy Halloween!” Jongdae roared as the candelabras on the walls flickered back to life. He was joined in celebration by three other boys, who appeared from behind the stone statue of an old wizarding scholar to slap each other on the back with glee. Another student emerged from behind the statue but ignored his excitable hyungs.

“Good job, Dae!” Jongin cackled as he high-fived the Hufflepuff.

“I didn’t realise the pumpkin would be so big, your charms are really improving!” Baekhyun wheezed through his hysterics. He had to lean on the oldest boy in their group, Hoseok, for support.

“Uh, guys?” The scrawny first year murmured, lisp apparent. The four boys turned to look at their friend, big grins still spread across their youthful faces. The blonde gestured behind them, where the limp figure of Kyungsoo lay sprawled on the cold floor.

“I think he fainted.”

Jongdae, Baekhyun and Hoseok stared at the unconscious third year for a moment, blinking in surprise. Jongin frowned; something about that student seemed familiar...

“Oh shit! Kyungsoo-hyung!” He yelped, immediately rushing to the older boy’s side.

The other three quickly joined him, gasping when they saw the bruise blooming on his temple.

“You know him, Nini?” Baekhyun squeaked, watching as the boy pulled Kyungsoo’s head onto his lap. Jongin nodded, chewing his lip in worry as he tried gently patting at the elder’s cheeks to get him to wake up.

“Yeah, he’s the Slytherin team seeker. Don’t you recognise him?” He mumbled as he continued to fan Kyungsoo’s face frantically.

Baekhyun didn’t reply, instead he helped Jongin by pushing away Jongdae and Hoseok, who were attempting to rouse the older boy by screaming in his ear and tickling his sides respectively.

“Sehun, take those two and call Madame Kim, she’ll know what to do.” He whispered to the pale first year with the intense resting bitch face. Sehun nodded and proceeded to drag his hyungs’ down the corridor towards the hospital wing.

Jongin continued to pat Kyungsoo’s cheeks as Baekhyun lifted his wrist to check his pulse. The corridor was filled with shouts not a moment later, and the two Gryffindor students looked up in bewilderment to see four Slytherins running towards them.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” One of them repeated as they came to an abrupt halt in front of the two crouched boys.

“What the hell happened?” A tall slytherin with a mess of brown curls and elf-ish ears asked angrily, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the guilt upon Baekhyun and Jongin’s faces.

They were suddenly pushed aside by a tiny boy with a shock of white-blonde hair and a lollipop lodged in his mouth. He hovered over Kyungsoo, eyes glittering with determination as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the dark-haired boy’s listless face.

“Wait! What are you doing-mfph!” Jongin found his mouth covered by a large hand, and turned around to lock gazes with a terrifyingly stony-faced boy.

“Don’t worry, Yoongi is brilliant at spells. He knows what he’s doing.” Chanyeol assured the younger boys, pulling Baekhyun away from the two third years on the floor as Yoongi pulled the sweet out of his mouth and spoke clearly.

“Rennervate!”

The boys had to close their eyes away from the flash of red light that suddenly erupted from Yoongi’s wand, but when they opened their eyes, sighs of relief were emitted from both parties as Kyungsoo twitched and slowly opened his eyes.

Jongin was the first to react, pulling away from Leo’s grip to run to the smaller boy’s side, apologies spilling from his lips. Kyungsoo blinked up at him in confusion as he slowly got a grip on his bearings. He moaned softly at the throbbing in his head, knowing there was probably a bruise the size of Brazil forming there. He gratefully accepted Yoongi’s hand to pull him up.

Once he was on his feet, he spun around to address the guilt-stricken second years with a venomous glare.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” He spat.

Baekhyun shrugged pathetically from his hiding place behind the giant whilst Jongin could only stare, overwhelmed by the unadulterated rage emanating from the elder. He’d never seen someone so angry in his entire life.

“S-sorry.” He mumbled meekly.

Kyungsoo snorted derisively.

“If you’re so sorry, why did you do it in the first place?” He snapped, dark eyes piercing into Jongin relentlessly. When neither boy responded, Kyungsoo tsked.

“Stupid second years, you don’t have any modicum of respect for the other students in the school. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t report this to your house prefects’ right this instant!” Kyungsoo spat, unable to contain his anger at the embarrassment and anguish he felt at being the laughing stock of the younger boys.

All of a sudden, Jongin felt a similar anger welling up inside him. If Kyungsoo was going to be difficult and refuse to accept his sincere apologies, then maybe he didn’t deserve them. The younger boy’s terrified expression morphed into one of disdain.

“You know what? I’m not sorry. And I don’t care if you tell the prefects; it wouldn’t be the first time one of you lot snitched on a harmless prank.” He snapped, ignoring the muffled gasps of surprise from the group of Slytherins behind him. Yoongi growled dangerously as Kyungsoo’s eyes bugged out of his head in disbelief.

“Excuse me? Harmless? I was lucky I didn’t get concussion!” He shoved his head into Jongin’s face, tapping at the angry purple bruise adorning his left temple. The younger boy tried not to notice how nice the older boy’s dark hair smelled, or how long his lashes were up close.

“Not my fault you fainted. It wasn’t even that scary.” Jongin sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kyungsoo fought to diffuse the humiliated blush that rose to his cheeks, a furious scowl marring his attractive features. “W-well, it sure must be nice to be invincible. Let’s see how long that cocky attitude lasts when its facing several months of detention.” He hissed.

Jongin scoffed. “Fine, go ahead and tell on us. Live up to your namesake as a snake, Soo. ”

At that comment, Kyungsoo flinched, his furious expression melting into one of hurt and betrayal as all colour drained from his face. Guilt ignited like a white-hot flame in Jongin’s stomach at the pain in the other’s eyes, but Kyungsoo didn’t give him the chance to take it back. He stormed past him in the direction of the Slytherin common room.

Jongin could’ve sworn he saw tears gathering in the corners of Kyungsoo’s large eyes, and that just made the fire burn hotter. But at the same time, he had his pride, and no student- no matter of what ranking or age or visual appeal- could talk to him like that, regardless of the situation. There was no need to act like such a self-righteous arsehole all the time, especially seeing as the prank was never intended to be malicious.

‘Whatever’, Jongin tried to persuade himself, ‘let him cry. It’s not like he’s a saint to everyone either.’

He didn’t move as the other Slytherin students chased after their friend, shooting him dirty looks. However once they were out of sight, Jongin allowed himself to slump to the floor, regret spreading through his veins and weighing down on his mind. He faintly registered Baekhyun talking to the others, who’d returned with a fussing Madame Kim on their heels, but he didn’t respond to them when they asked him questions, the memory of the anguish in Kyungsoo’s dark orbs haunting him already.

‘What have I done?’

 

Kyungsoo fled up the stairs and into the dormitory, taking refuge under the covers of his bed as he heard his friends storm into the room. He couldn’t stop the sobs tumbling from his lips as Jongin’s bitter words rang through his head, triggering bad memories.

“Live up to your namesake as a snake, Soo.”

“Don’t touch me, snake.”

“Um, please don’t sit there. I don’t want to be associated with a snakemouth.”

“Slytherin won? Hah, I bet Do cheated- it’s basically guaranteed amongst his kind.”

“My mum said that his lot are descendants of you-know-who, and that they’re cursed. They always turn bad in the end. It’s only a matter of time before he does too.”

“Tch. Haven’t you noticed his permanent bad mood? He’s a dark wizard already.”

He was so tired and his head hurt and he was stressed from all the essay’s they were being given lately and now this. He didn’t know how much more he could take.

“Soo-ah, it’s alright.” Hakyeon soothed in that calming voice of his, running a warm hand down his back on top of the duvet.

“He didn’t mean it.” Chanyeol added.

Yoongi scoffed. “Next time I see him, I’ll transform a certain beloved part of his anatomy into a cobra. See how he likes it.”

Kyungsoo giggled weakly, silently grateful for his friends’ strange attempts at cheering him up. After a couple of tense seconds of silence, he spoke up.

“Is it true?” He hiccupped, his voice muffled by the thick blankets.

“Is what true?”

“Do people really still refer to me as a snake behind my back?”

There was a pregnant pause, which only confirmed Kyungsoo’s worst fears. He began to cry again, not caring about how pathetic he may seem. He knew the other boys wouldn’t judge him.

Chanyeol instantly moved to pull back the covers and pick up the smaller boy, sitting him up so that he could meet the hard gazes of his friends.

“Don’t you dare listen to them, Kyungsoo, okay? They are just snotty bastards who know nothing about you.” Chanyeol snapped, eyes staring imploringly into Kyungsoo’s wet ones.

“Very few people say that about you, Soo-ah. We all love you very much; some people just misinterpret your abilities.” Hakyeon added, crawling up the bed to embrace the small boy as he wept.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re right; I’m a monster.” He sniffled into his hands.

“Stop it.” Yoongi demanded, his face taught with distress at his friend’s state. “You’re not a monster. So what if you can speak parseltounge? I think that’s something to be proud of, not something to resent yourself for.”

The three other boys nodded in agreement.

“But only dark wizards are parselmouths, everybody knows this. I don’t want to become like that, I want to be a good wizard.” He broke down again, breathy whimpers erupting from his throat.

Hakyeon only pulled Kyungsoo closer.

“Then change that. Kyungsoo, you have the opportunity to prove the entire wizarding world wrong about your abilities and become something great. Someone who will change how we view parseltounges in society so that future generations won’t have to be subjected to the same treatment you have.”

Kyungsoo’s cries subsided and he sat up, wiping at his face angrily.

“Ok, I suppose that makes sense. You guys are always right.”

Hakyeon grinned, offering the younger boy a tissue which he accepted with a watery smile. Chanyeol hummed and nodded his head like the excitable puppy he was.

“Of course we are! We know you best in the world, and if anyone else has a problem with you, they’ll have to answer to us first.”

Hakyeon and Yoongi murmured in agreement.

Kyungsoo could feel the dark cloud above his head lifting, and suddenly he didn’t feel so alone.

“Fuck them all, and fuck Jongin especially. I won’t let him make fun of me anymore.” He muttered darkly, grinning at his friends’ smirks.

He was done with all the disgusted stares, hushed insults and verbal attacks in the hallway. He was done with the resentful notes scribbled on his books when he left them unattended in the library, and he was done of being made fun of by his peers, who treated him like a lesser being ever since they’d discovered his taboo ability during a first-year transfiguration class wherein they had to transform a snake into a knife. He was done with Kim Jongin too, the pretty boy who had taken up way too much of his thinking capacity since their first meeting. For someone who had claimed he’d wanted to be his friend, he’d made a piss-poor example of one so far. If that child thought he could humiliate him and get away with it, then he had another think coming.

In that moment, Kyungsoo vowed that he would get his revenge, even if it meant breaking a few school rules to do so. Usually, he wouldn’t stoop down to Jongin’s low level, but sod it all; this was war.

 

And so the years-long feud began, taking many people down with it. The rest of Kyungsoo’s third year was mostly uneventful after he got his own back on the brat by jinxing one of his muggle caps that he liked to wear on weekends (“It’s called a snapback, hyung. They’re all the trend in the muggle world right now”, Hakyeon had insisted through snorts of laughter as Kyungsoo proposed the idea to him over a butterbeer).

He’d had Chanyeol sneak into the Gryffindor common room whilst the students were in class (which was a remarkably easy feat for the giant boy, given that he and Baekhyun had become unexpectedly close over the course of the last few months and had been willingly given the passcode) to find the hat amongst Jongin’s belongings. He’d presented it to his friend over dinner that evening, who paid him three sickles in retribution, as per their agreement.

Kyungsoo had then jinxed the hat with the anti-gravity spell they’d been taught days prior once they were back in the safety of the slytherin dorms before having Chanyeol discreetly return it.

Luckily, they didn’t have to wait very long to marvel over Kyungsoo’s handiwork. The next weekend, Jongin had proudly stalked into the nearly-empty dining room for breakfast, wearing the infernal, baby blue hat that pushed his chocolate locks into his eyes. Trying to stifle their laughter so as not to let on that they were the guilty party in the upcoming event, Kyungsoo subtly chanted the incantation that activated the jinx under his breath, and watched in delight as the unsuspecting second-year suddenly floated into the air, that certain law of physics no longer applicable to him.

The look of fright on Jongin’s face was really something to behold, and Kyungsoo felt a delightful concoction of glee and satisfaction seep through his veins and warm his black soul as the two locked eyes across the Great Hall. Jongin’s eyes narrowed when he saw the smirk tugging at Kyungsoo’s lips, and the older boy discreetly waved his wand at him felicitously which only confirmed the gryffindor’s suspicions.

It took a fairly sizable group of professors and a good ten minutes to counter-curse the hat, during which time Jongin had floated up into the enchanted ceiling of the hall and was beginning to look suitably pale and queasy from the effects of anti-gravity on his body. When he was safely on his feet again, he was instantly flocked by a small crowd of professors and his friends, asking after his wellbeing and if he knew who was responsible for the casting of the charm.

Jongin’s eyes met Kyungsoo’s when a professor asked after any suspects, but the younger simply huffed in resigned amusement and grinned at the guilty slytherin before turning back and denying knowing anything. Kyungsoo released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. So that’s how they were going to play the game; untold, countless pranks and tricks until one of them caved in and told the professors. Kyungsoo accepted the silent challenge Jongin proposed with a leer as the younger boy took his place at the Gryffindor table and accepted a plate stacked high with bacon from a chortling Baekhyun.

The two shared a wordless stare from opposite sides of the hall as Jongin unattractively shovelled the breakfast down his throat.

It was so on.

 

It was in Kyungsoo’s fourth year that the pranks really took off.

It commenced courtesy of Jongin, who had grown two feet over the summer in a premature growth spurt and now towered over the poor slytherin. Even Chanyeol looked impressed when he spotted the third year in the halls, whistling appreciatively and yelling “looking hot, Jongin” loud enough for the entire castle to hear.

Jongin had laughed merrily in response before spotting the scowling boy at the giant’s side and flashing Kyungsoo a wink. Nobody noticed the frown Baekhyun wore.

Two weeks later, Kyungsoo fell victim to his own teacup as he sat at the slytherin table for breakfast, minding his own business as his friends bickered around him over which of their teachers had the better tits; Chanyeol swore down that Professor Han, their herbology professor had the better pair whilst Yoongi and Hakyeon highlighted the qualities of Professor Park’s smaller appendages.

Kyungsoo thought that the entire argument was pointless given that all of them were about as straight as a circle, but he digressed. As he turned his attention to his copy of The Daily Prophet, he brought the cup of steaming earl grey tea to his lips, only to cry out in pain a second later. He let the snarling teacup fall from his grip and smash on the floor as he cradled his lower lip in disbelief.

He pulled his fingers away from mouth and cursed when he saw the blood coating his digits. The sound of muffled snickering filled the room and he looked up to see every student in the hall struggling to contain their laughter. He sighed internally, knowing that they’d all seen it. At least there weren’t many of them dining at this early hour. Although, knowing his luck, they would spread the news across the castle within twenty minutes.

As he punched his friends for laughing too, he scanned the Gryffindor table across the room for the obvious culprit and- yep, Jongin and his raucous friends sat there, laughing into their own cups of tea without restraint. It was a funny coincidence, Kyungsoo mused sarcastically, that the one day they happened to come down to breakfast early was the same day he got mauled by a supposedly inanimate piece of crockery.

The main suspect in question caught Kyungsoo’s gaze easily, never batting an eyelash when the elder’s glance shifted into one of his infamous glares that had most students – and sometimes professors- wetting their pants. Jongin’s face pulled into a cheeky smirk as he raised his tea cup in a gesture of victory before taking a smug sip. The older boy hated how good that expression looked on his bronzed face.

Kyungsoo scowled, wiping at his lip as more blood welled on the surface and began to drip down his chin. He grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the area sullenly, only now glancing down to stare at the teacup that was responsible for his ruined breakfast. It was back to its original state now. Well, as original as possible given that it lay by his feet in a pile of china shards. He groaned as he remembered the lesson in which Professor explained how drinking containers could become jinxed to bite back when you tried to drink from them.

“I thought those things were supposed to bite your nose.” Chanyeol said, shoulders still shaking with mirth and lips morphing into that insufferable smile of his.

“To be fair, if I was that small I’d have trouble reaching your nose past your massive lips too.” Hakyeon spoke through a mouthful of cereal, his tone matter-of-fact.

The Great Hall was soon filled with the sound of Hakyeon’s yelps and pleas for mercy as Kyungsoo savagely kicked him under the table.

 

The year continued on in a similar fashion; one of them would play a practical joke on the other, and the other would then retaliate in kind.

When Christmas finally reached the large, enchanted doors of Hogwarts, the two boys had already devised and carried out a total of twelve pranks between them, in varying levels of severity. They had consequently also racked up quite an impressive log of detentions, point deductions and punishments, for which their housemates didn’t thank them. Other than that, their constant feuding became the talk of the student body, and within weeks, Baekhyun, Jongdae and Hoseok began organising betting polls on how long it would, and I quote, ‘take the two oblivious lovebirds to notice the sexual tension between them and fuck it out’. Needless to say, when the Head boy entered the Gryffindor common room on a rainy Saturday to see that crude message scribbled on the board in what was clearly a third-year’s inelegant scrawl, he nearly had an aneurism.

The festive spirit that accompanied the month of December spread throughout the dismal hallways of the castle, putting everyone in good spirits even though they had to walk around bundled in nine layers of clothing in an exhausting attempt to stave off frostbite.

“You’d think that one of the silly buggers who run the place would have the capability of warming the corridors up a bit.” Baekhyun grouched, the pink tip of his nose barely visible under the large scarf he’d wrapped across his face. “It’s like the fucking arctic in here.” He ignored the disapproving glares he received from the group of old men in a nearby painting for his language as he hauled himself up the staircase towards the Gryffindor common room and, with a bit of luck, a nice, roaring fire.

Beside him, Sehun absentmindedly nodded, content to let his hyung vent out his frustrations as his mind wandered back to the pretty Hufflepuff that helped him pick up his books that morning when he’d clumsily dropped them in the snow. Luhun? Luhan? He couldn’t remember the boy’s name, but his face was certainly imprinted into his brain.

“Hello? Earth to Sassyhun?”

Sehun shifted his stoic gaze to the shorter man’s face to let him know he was listening.

“As I was saying, Chanyeol asked me earlier if I had dwarf in my family or something because of my height. How rude is that? Obviously, I said I didn’t, then I asked him if his parents came from the swamp planet of Dagobah because that’s where Yoda lives and his ears are…well, you know, all sticky-outey, but he said he didn’t understand my muggle references and I’m so damned pissed off at him for that because that was such a waste of good shade and ugh!” Baekhyun stopped for a second to breathe, before continuing.

“And then he went, and I shit you not, ‘maybe you’re part Dementor then, because you keep on taking my breath away’ and oh my god isn’t that just the worst pick up line you’ve ever heard? Dementor’s aren’t even cute! Is he trying to say that I look like a crusty corpse wrapped up in rags?”

Sehun’s lips twitched in amusement. It certainly sounded like something that goofy, love-struck giant would say. Baekhyun saw the change in his demeanour and pouted dramatically.

“How is this funny? Like, he’s so so hot, and tall, and kind of dorky, but all he does is wind me up!” He whined as they came to a halt in front of the Fat Lady.

“Peppermint fizzlers” Sehun said. The Fat Lady ran a skeptical eye down the lanky boy’s frame, remembering the colour of his robes but said nothing.

“It was nice of him to lend you his scarf though.” Sehun murmured as they stepped inside the threshold. Baekhyun spluttered, his cheeks flaming as he stared at the younger boy.

“Y-you knew it was his?” He stammered. Sehun smirked.

“Of course. I watched him open it last Christmas; it was a gift from his sister I think.”

Baekhyun didn’t reply to that, silently too touched that Chanyeol would lend him something so precious to him. He couldn’t recall how he even got so close to the tall boy to begin with to warrant such a warm-hearted action, but recently, their friendly japes and teasing remarks had become more…intimate? Baekhyun shook his head.

Chanyeol didn’t think of him like that. If anything, Chanyeol probably regarded him as a younger brother who he could joke around with and buy sweets and lend scarves to when there was a chill in the air. Yes, that’s all we are, Baekhyun told himself sternly, although he would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed by the idea.

He was thrown out of his thoughts when a small body flung itself onto his own. He toppled over with a very manly shriek before he recognised the kittenish curl to the grinning lips on the face of his attacker.

“Jongdae! You frightened me!” He cried, shoving the younger boy off harshly as he cackled in laughter. Baekhyun kicked him in the side, giggles erupting from his own throat when the boy’s laughter evolved into full-on roaring. Such a weird kid, Baekhyun thought fondly.

“I was waiting for you to get back! Jongin and Hoseok have already snuck off to Hogsmeade to buy last-minute presents. Let’s go join them.” Jongdae sang, already running over to the couches to pull on the large coat he’d discarded there.

Baekhyun internally groaned at the thought of going back into the freezing cold, but the look Jongdae shot him as he stalled left no room for arguments.

“Apparently Hoseok overheard Chanyeol saying he was gonna be there today.” He winked, taking great pleasure in the glower the shorter boy directed at him.

“Why would I care?” Baekhyun sniffed, trying to appear unfazed by the news.

Jongdae snickered. “Oh please, everyone and their mother knows you’ve got the hots for that boy.”

Baekhyun groaned. “I really don’t. He’s just cool. And nice. And he happens to have the best body in the school too, but whatever.“ Jongdae’s grin widened. Sehun shot the other an exasperated look.

“Shut up!” Baekhyun mumbled into the scarf. It even smelt like the older slytherin; cinnamon, chocolate frogs and sweat, and he discreetly inhaled the intoxicating scent that put him at ease.

“Let’s just go already; Honeydukes will be closing soon.” Jongdae sang, grabbing the wrists of the two other boys with his usual enthusiasm.

Sehun perked up at the prospect of chocolate. Baekhyun couldn’t see the point of arguing, so he acquiesced with a defeated sigh. If he was being honest with himself, he secretly wanted to go too. But for the sweets of course, not at all for the possibility of seeing the big-eared giant.

 

Jongin browsed through the mountains of candies with a smile akin to a cat that got the cream. A surprisingly accurate metaphor, given that he currently had five packets of jelly beans and six Pepper Imps clutched in his mitten-clad fists. He wove through the mass of heavily-clothed students after spotting Hoseok across the shop, chatting to a small first year with fiery red hair and the cutest eye smile.

“Hoseok!” He called out, gaining the attention of the two boys who waved him over to the barrel they were standing by. Upon inspection, he could see that the barrel was full to the brim with Fizzing Whizzbees, and now that he was closer, he could see that the little red head’s feet weren’t touching the ground.

“Jongin-ah! Come and try these out.” Hoseok sniggered as he held a bunch of pink sherbet-looking balls towards the brunette. Jongin took one, a laugh bubbling in his throat.

“Who’s your friend?” He asked, shooting the young looking boy a friendly smile.

“Oh! This is Park Jimin. He’s a first year I met during choir practise.” The boy in mention bowed slightly in greeting, giggling when he lost his balance and began tipping over in mid-air. Jongin grinned in response.

“Nice to meet you. So these things make you float?”

Hoseok’s eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Yep. They taste really good too. I think we should buy some for our next prank.” The boy winked conspiratorially and Jongin high fived him- a muggle gesture of glee Jongin taught his friends to do when they were feeling pleased of themselves.

Jongin looked down at the sweet he was rolling in his palm, a smirk forming on his face as he pinpointed its victim; an owlish fourth year who had pulled off a similar trick at Jongin’s expense last year. It had been a few days since either of them had exchanged their usual pleasantries in disguise of a prank, the last one being Jongin lying in wait for the elder boy in the second floor boys toilets and charming the stool Kyungsoo chose to regurgitate all of its contents back up onto the aforementioned boy. It was terrific. Disgusting, but terrific.

Although now he thought about it, a candy that made you float wasn’t really up to par with the level of tricks they had been toying around with lately. Besides, as per their unspoken rule, it was now Kyungsoo’s turn to play his hand and Jongin was nothing if not courteous.

‘Say’ - or ‘think’ , in this instance - ‘the devil’s name and he shall appear’ was a muggle phrase that actually seemed to have some foundation, because when Jongin looked up he could see Kyungsoo and his friends squeeze their way into the homely shop.

The group of fourth years pushed their way to the small display of sugared butterflies that were fluttering across the window pane, and Jongin’s heart fluttered in a similar manner to the charmed candies when a breath-taking smile split Kyungsoo’s face, his heart-shaped lips shiny from the lip balm he’d applied to protect them from the northern winds outside.

He continued to watch as the Slytherin joked around and sampled a selection of treats, his unrestrained peals of laughter making Jongin’s heart clench when Chanyeol experienced his first exploding bonbon, his face contorting into the strangest expression. Yoongi then ushered Kyungsoo out sight, and Jongin was released from his love-struck trance. He blinked, raising his candy-filled hands to his heart as it continued to beat erratically. He tried not to feel too downtrodden that the older boy hadn’t noticed his presence, but it wasn’t easy.

He was blankly staring at a stand full of bright turquoise lollipops when somebody tapped on his shoulder. Jongin spun around to be met with the cheerful faces of Hoseok, Jimin, and another new person. He assumed the boy was a first year too, given his small stature and penchance to stick by the red-head’s side. The unnamed boy had fair features, large, round glasses and a mole on the edge of his nose.

“So we were just thinking about heading over to the Three Broomsticks. Apparently Baek, Hunnie and Dae will meet us there, also Jimminnie and Taehyungie wanted to try their first butterbeer.” The walking-talking-embodiment-of-sunshine spoke, beaming down at the two boys. Jimin and ‘Taehyungie’ nodded enthusiastically in response, all big eyes and tentative smiles.

Jongin raised an eyebrow in a show of mock-authority.

“Oh do they indeed? Tell me, how did two first years like yourselves even end up here in the first place? Isn’t this trip reserved for third-years and above?” He said haughtily, delighting in the fear that flashed in the boys’ eyes. Even Hoseok looked fooled, confusion taking over his previously sunny demeanour.

“W-well, Hoseok gave us this map that shows y-you where all the secret passageways are ‘n s-stuff, so…” Jimin trailed off, clinging to his hyung for protection.

Jongin turned on his friend with a long exhale, as if he were disappointed. “Really? You decided to give them the Marauder’s Map of all people?”

“Uh, well, yeah? I mean, it’s not like we need it anymore; we’ve memorised the entire thing, so I thought ‘what’s the harm?’ Gotta keep the magic alive, pass on our knowledge to the younger generation and all, right…?”

Hoseok looked like he was about to faint by the time he’d finished his rambling, unsure of what caused the change of attitude in his long-time friend. Jimin and Taehyung looked just as terrified, probably already imagining the punishments that awaited them back at the castle when Jongin told the Professors of their forbidden excursion.

He couldn’t take it anymore. Jongin erupted into hysterics at the expressions of terror, only stopping to catch his breath when Hoseok punched him on the arm, finally registering the joke. The red-head and his auburn counterpart still looked uneasy though, so Jongin ruffled their hair in turn, flashing them his most charming smile as he said “I’m only playing with you two. You’re more than worthy of the map. Use it well,” before breaking into another fit of giggles. This earned him a few bemused stares as Hoseok paid for all their sweets (“It’s your Christmas present from me. Don’t eat them all at once kiddos”) and shoved them out of the warm shop.

Jongin’s fit died down as they marched through the snow towards their favourite watering hole. They pushed through the heavy wooden door, immediately relaxing as the scent of chips and butterbeer filled their nostrils. Jongin told Hoseok to find them a table as he got the drinks in, and the older boy obliged, placing a few sickles in Jongin’s hand as he pulled his two dongsaengs over to a corner seat by the stone fireplace, away from the draught.

A few minutes later, Jongin carefully made his way over to the table, only to see that he hadn’t bought nearly enough drinks. Baekhyun, Jongdae and Sehun had arrived, and had made themselves wholly at home, strewing their coats and scarves across the backs of their seats and the spare bench. Jongin briefly noted that Baekhyun still had his scarf on, the red woolly item wrapped securely around his neck and chin, despite the cosy warmth of the room.

“Jongin!” Jongdae greeted, waving as he set the four glasses down.

“Hi guys, shall I get you something too?” He asked as he pulled off his own gloves and coat, adding them to the messy pile. Jongdae shook his head.

“No, don’t worry, I’ve got it.” He brandished his wallet and all but skipped to the bar to order.

Jongin settled himself on the empty side of the bench and reached over to grab his butterbeer, having to slap Baekhyun’s eager hands away from the other glasses. “Those are for the kids, Jongdae’s getting yours.” He chuckled at the pretty boy’s exaggerated pout and drawn out sigh.

Hoseok watched as Jimin and Taehyung clinked glasses in a small toast and took their first sip. They looked pleasantly surprised by the taste, and both claimed to like it as they began to down it with their usual reckless abandon. The older boys cheered them on, laughing when the two sported butterscotch-foam moustaches once they’d finished.

Jongdae returned not long after, and the mood became even merrier as the sticky beverage warmed their bodies and lowered their inhibitions enough to allow for an easy flow of conversation. The group stayed undisturbed in their corner for another hour before Sehun nudged Baekhyun and pointed to a group several tables away. Everyone fell quiet as they turned to follow the direction of Sehun’s finger.

Baekhyun’s cheeks and ears became pink as he spotted a familiar mop of brown hair and large ears sat down with his friends. Jongin smirked, secretly happy to see Kyungsoo again but too focused on making fun of his best friend to spare him more than a glance.

“Stop pointing at him! It’s rude.” Baekhyun hissed as he pulled the scarf over his cheeks, well aware that they were burning.

“Only in the muggle world.” Hoseok grinned. Sehun held his hand still to spite Baekhyun, a teasing grin on his small lips.

“Yes, well I happen to come from the muggle world, so I find it rude. Finger down.” Baekhyun glared at the younger Slytherin before grabbing his finger and yanking it down, grinning when Sehun yelped in pain.

“Something you want to share with the group, Byun-ssi?” Hoseok drawled, mimicking a therapist.  
Baekhyun scowled.

“Yes actually: you’re all shitty friends.” He grumbled, getting up to buy himself another butterbeer. And maybe use the vantage point in the middle of the room to check Chanyeol out a bit.

“But you love us really!” Jongdae sang.

Baekhyun quickly walked back over to them, only to loudly whisper “Kim Minseok” into Jongdae’s ear and forcefully turn his head to where he’d spotted the aforementioned fifth year sitting with his group of prefect friends across the room. His work was complete when his friend choked on his mouthful of butterbeer and a flustered blush dusted his high cheekbones.

They gained a few confused and disapproving glances from other patrons for the ruckus, but none of the group payed them any heed, too busy either comforting/interrogating the still-spluttering Hufflepuff or watching Baekhyun’s arse saunter over to the bar in those sinfully tight jeans of his. For a fourteen year old, he had a pretty neat body.

Jongin sat idly by as the group ripped into poor Jongdae about his unsuspected crush on the fifth year, and it only took another ten minutes of the Hufflepuff vehemently denying everything for Jongin’s taste buds to crave another glass, so he excused himself and walked over to the emptying bar. He glanced down at his watch, reading 16.48pm. He sighed, they’d be due back at the castle soon.

A small cough made him look up. Kyungsoo stood beside him, his gaze transfixed on the movements of the bartender in order to avoid looking into the younger boy’s mesmerising eyes.

‘Wait, what?’

Kyungsoo internally kicked himself.

The slytherin shuffled awkwardly on the spot for a few seconds, as if debating whether to stay and stick out the awkward attempt to be social or flee. Run away and never look back. That option was tempting, but regretfully, the fourth year had a duty to uphold. ‘This better be worth it’, he thought.

“Hello?” Jongin started, feeling lanky and uncomfortable as the object of his hormone-induced affections stood a good few inches shorter than him.

“Hi.” Kyungsoo deadpanned.

‘Not the best start Kyungsoo’, he berated himself. ‘I’ve got to be friendlier if this is going to work.’

“Um, hello, yes.” He said again, contorting his voice to take on a lighter tone.

Jongin looked amused at his inability to function socially, and Kyungsoo’s eye twitched in irritation.

‘The little shi-‘

“Can I help you?” The younger boy looked unnervingly hopeful and expectant, leaning over him so that their faces were only a few centimetres apart; way too close for Kyungsoo’s comfort.

He subtly shifted away. “Um, I just…I wanted to say Merry Christmas. I know it’s a time of year that muggles cherish a lot, and well…you coming from a muggle family and all, I thought it would be polite to say something?” He said, plastering on a small smile he hoped didn’t look too fake.

Jongin looked taken aback, but not offended or terrified by any means. Which, Kyungsoo supposed, was what he was going for.

“Oh…uh, okay? And thanks. I think. Merry Christmas to you too, Kyungsoo.” Jongin beamed at him, and Kyungsoo’s stomach flipped. Because the smile is sickening and I want to puke, not because it’s radiant and beautiful and fuck how are his teeth so perfect what is happening-

“Soo-ah?”

Kyungsoo’s signature frown appeared in a flash.

“Don’t call me that.”

Jongin had the audacity to laugh.

“I’m sorry, but where is all this coming from? I mean, last time we spoke, you said you wanted nothing to do with me.” He turned away momentarily to order another butterbeer as the bartender approached them. He turned around to ask if Kyungsoo wanted one, but the older boy politely declined.

Kyungsoo’s heart tugged at the memory. The boys toilets, covered in toilet water and god only knows what else as Jongin sniggered at the state of the older boy’s robes…

He coughed. “Yes well…despite that, Merry Christmas.”

“You’ve already said that.” The taller boy grinned impishly.

“Are you trying to get on my nerves?”

Jongin chortled.

“No! No, sorry.”

“Good, because…if you were, then I would’ve retracted your gift.”

Jongin perked up, a brow raised in question.

“You got me a gift?”

Kyungsoo nodded, pulling out a neon turquoise lollipop from his hoodie pocket. He looked down at the sweet in his hands before hurriedly holding it out for the Gryffindor to take. He couldn’t meet the younger boy’s gaze, too bashful at his unusual actions.

Jongin looked down at the lollipop the older was offering him in surprise, and recognised it as the one of the ones he had been staring at earlier whilst feeling dejected over Kyungsoo’s lack of acknowledgement of his existence. He felt a gentle smile tug on the corners of his lips as he pried the candy from the elder’s pale hand. Kyungsoo still didn’t meet his gaze, but even in the low lighting, Jongin could see the apples of his cheeks glowing a red hue.

‘Cute.’

Was the only word that came to mind as he unabashedly stared at the shorter male. His small stature was swamped in a grey hoodie and black skinny jeans with heavy-duty snow boots laced up to his knees. He’d shoved his hands back into the depths of the jumper’s pockets as he stared off to the side, ignoring the younger’s insistent gaze. From this angle, the lights reflected off of the fifteen year old’s face in such a way that it contoured his full cheeks and bought out the colour in his chapped lips so that he looked even more ethereal than usual.

Kyungsoo’s skin was crawling as the other’s gaze lingered on his lips, and he subconsciously licked them, doing his best to ignore the hitched breath it ignited. Darn horny teenagers.

“I-I think it’s lime flavoured or something. I saw you looking at the stand of them earlier so…yeah.” And with that, Kyungsoo walked back over to the table where his friends resided, feeling drained and accomplished at the same time. And maybe a little bit aroused?

NO. BAD KYUNGSOO. He scolded himself.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t register the new guest at their table, casually draping his lithe body over a very contented Chanyeol.

What he did register, though, was the ear-piercing shriek that rang throughout the pub not five minutes later. All heads turned in the direction of the distressed wails, and Kyungsoo felt a victorious smirk replace the stony expression he’d previously worn as he saw Jongin whimpering pitifully in his friend’s- Hooseok?- arms, fanning at his tongue, which had a sizable hole burnt through it. The neon green lollipop that had been presented to him earlier lay forgotten on the table in front of him as tears slipped down his face.

Kyungsoo would have been worried about taking it too far had it not been for the hoots of laughter that were emanating from the boy’s friends. Baekhyun in particular was having difficulty containing his mirth, although Kyungsoo suspected that the six butterbeers he’d consumed might be playing a substantial part in that.

Once Jongin’s tongue had mostly recovered, he spent the next half an hour whining to Hoseok about how unfair it was to use his ignorance against him (“Hyung how was I supposed to know it was an ‘acid pop’? It just looked like a normal lolly to me!” “Aish, you’re such a muggle Nini”). In the end, he glanced up, intent on grilling the mean boy who’d deliberately mangled his tongue under the guise of being a five foot two Korean version of Santa.

Kyungsoo smirked at the furious glare Jongin gave him. It was really going to need some work if the younger wanted to intimidate him; for a start, his eyes were still watery, which rather softened the blow. Maybe he would tutor the boy on the arts of scowling one day, he was the master, after all.

Noticing the Slytherin’s increasing amusement, he flipped him the bird, to which he received a very confused look.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Kyungsoo mouthed over the heads of over quietly-chatting customers.

‘It’s muggle for ‘you’re a twat’’, Jongin mouthed back, finally satisfied when he saw the other purse his lips and cross his arms; an image of classic teenage attitude if he ever saw one.

When the clock reached half five, Jongin decided to herd his group out of the door. It was getting dark and the two first years were getting a little sleepy from all the alcohol buzzing in their systems. He’d explicitly told Hoseok that he would take none of the blame or responsibility for their inebriated arses; it was the older boy who’d bowed to their requests for more of the sugary drink, not him.

So with a mumbling Taehyung draped over his back and Jimin giggling ‘Let’s go horsey, my J-horsey” into Hoseok’s ear as the older boy struggled to get a good grip round the red-heads thighs, they headed out into the brisk, mid-December air. They’d made the unanimous decision to leave Baek in Chanyeol’s capable hands, given that the slight boy was more than a little tipsy, and loudly refused to get off the giant’s lap even when Jongdae tried to coax him away with little sweets.

As they made their way down a poorly lit path, Hoseok seemed deep in thought as he sucked on a toffee. How he managed to get that out of his pocket mystified Jongin.

“You know, I couldn’t help but notice you ogling up old owl-features back there at the bar.”

Jongin did a double take, his heartrate increasing at the mention of the boy, questionable and possibly insulting nicknames aside. He successfully schooled his features into a mask of nonchalance as he shrugged.

“Don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh heavens don’t be like this; I don’t need the stress of dealing with another Baekhyun thank you awfully. You like him and it’s painfully obvious. And I’m not judging you or anything, I just think that you might wanna be more discreet in future if you intend to keep it under wraps. Unless you’re planning on telling him, of course.” Hoseok kept his voice low, only too aware of the two snoozing first years they were carrying.

Jongin didn’t see the point of denying it. He quickly ran a gloved hand through his snowflake-infested strands as he supported Taehyung with one arm, a self-depreciating smile plastered on his lips.

“I don’t know, to be honest. I mean, sure, he’s cute and clever and all, but…knowing me this will just be another temporary crush that will fade within months. So sure, I find him hot, but I guess I don’t want to lead him on or something? Anyway, he wouldn’t feel the same way, so there’s no point in bringing it up. Also, he’s mean! Like, that lollipop deal just now, that actually scared the living shits out of me! I thought I’d have to live with a hold burnt through my tongue for the rest of my life! Nah, I’ll move on soon, I’m sure of it.”

Hoseok remained silent, and Jongin felt bad about lying. He was just so certain that his feelings would go unreciprocated by the older boy that he wasn’t even going to entertain the possibility of the two discussing his amorous intent. He was a little bitter about the lollipop scenario too, although if he was really honest, the prank had only given him more respect for the elder. It was a quality job.

But to the Slytherin, he was nothing more than a nuisance who had drawn him into a childish feud that had the potential to threaten his aspiration of becoming Head Boy, and Jongin knew this because Kyungsoo had told him so in no uncertain terms just a month ago, after his infamous belching powder prank that spread around the school like wildfire. Regardless, the Gryffindor knew that his feelings weren’t likely to dissipate in the near future, nor indeed any future, because so long as he kept on getting involved with the older boy, he would continue to crave his attention. And Jongin was too selfish to give it all up. He could live without ever experiencing the other boy’s love and affection, but he couldn’t live without the sharp comments, fierce glares and pouts of disgust as he furiously wiped faecal matter off of his robes. Jongin frowned. That sounded so messed up.

“You’re a pain in my arse, Kim Jongin. And the day that you fully comprehend the extent of your immaturity will be the day Namjoon stops tripping on air.” He sneered, his face flushed angrily as he tried to take back control of his body. Jongin had to press his lips together to fight off the impending laughter as the older boy let rip another fantastically loud belch.

“I swear, even if it’s the last thing I do, I will make you regret ever making an enemy out of me.”

Jongin actually did chuckle at this, despite the pang of hurt that resonated in his chest at the other’s harsh tone.

“Aw come on Soo, you don’t mean that. We’re friends really!”

“No, we’re not, and stop calling me that! I will never be your friend so don’t ever refer to me as such. I hate you, and I always will. You’ve ruined my perfect record and now there’s little chance of me getting the position of Head Boy- which is something I’ve been dreaming of since I was six, just so you’re aware. So don’t ever kid yourself that I would befriend someone like you.”

If Jongin thought his heart hurt before, it was nothing compared to the pain he felt now. He had no idea Kyungsoo thought so bitterly of him; this entire time, he thought their pranks were just their unique way of expressing their friendship. He had no idea how much these little games were costing the older boy, and now that he knew, he felt awful. He knew that Kyungsoo had gotten into trouble a few times in the past when they sometimes went too far, but then again so had he. He didn’t know that the black marks against the Slytherin’s name would have such a disastrous impact upon his schooling career.

“But…then why did you retaliate? Why do you keep on responding with your own jokes? If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be in this position…” The third year mumbled, eyes cast low in shame.

“Why…what-I don’t have to explain myself to you! I was hardly going to just sit there and take it in my stride as you and your stupid little friends made a mockery of me, was I? I understand that in some aspects I only have myself to blame, but had you not drawn your wand first, so to speak, I wouldn’t find myself in this situation, conflicted between my morals and my pride.” Kyungsoo spat, little burps interrupting his tantrum.

“That was an accident! I never intended for you to be the target of that jump scare, and you know it.”

Kyungsoo only growled in response.

“Liar. You’ve had it in for me since the day we met.”

“Well, if that’s how you really feel, fine. Just know that you’re wrong, but whatever. See you around.” Jongin spat, sick of the older boy’s infuriating irrationality and sour attitude. He never listened, so Jongin didn’t see the point of talking, opting instead to leave the other to sit out his Belch-powder induced hiccups in the secluded corridor as he went to go and find Baekhyun. He was running late for Defence Against the Dark Arts as it was.

Jongin moaned in despair at the memory. Kyungsoo had been so cold and ignorant, as per usual. The two had barely spoken since- with the exception of today- even though they had successfully carried out practical jokes on each other twice following the incident, and Jongin honestly felt like crap. He wasn’t expecting much, just a simple ‘hello’ as they passed each other in the hallways would suffice. Hell, even a Kyungsoo-classic glare would be enough to satisfy the younger’s thirst for attention. But no. The slytherin had been doing a top job of ignoring him lately, and Jongin found himself more desperate than ever to appease him in some way.

Hoseok noticed the unhappy pout forming on his friend’s lips and poked his cheek.

“Jongin? A sickle for your thoughts?”

Jongin shook his head resolutely.

Fuck Kyungsoo. If he was going to be an arsehole, then fine, he was free to stew in his unpleasantness. There was no way he was going to grovel. Jongin was determined to carry on forward with his merry ways, but that didn’t mean that he was going to let up on the pranks. Oh no, if anything, he was determined to kick them up at notch. Maybe then Kyungsoo would give him the time of day, even if it wasn’t exactly in the way he desired. Angry confrontations beat stony silences, right?

“I’ll get over him.” He promised himself. Hoseok refrained from commenting, but looked skeptical.

**Author's Note:**

> If you got his far, well done and thank you!<3  
> The second part will be up soon as it's pre-written. For those of you awaiting an update on 'The Creeping', I promise it's on it's way.  
> Come fangirl with me on tumblr if you feel like it @gydaebooty  
> Keep smiling babies!~


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